Ballymoney is a small town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is currently served by the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. The civil parish of Ballymoney is situated in the historic baronies of Dunluce Upper and Kilconway in County Antrim, and the barony of North East Liberties of Coleraine in County Londonderry. It had a population of 10,402 people in the 2011 Census. Ballymoney has expanded in recent years and many new houses have been built. This is primarily as a result of high house prices in the Coleraine/Portstewart/Portrush 'Triangle' areas shifting first-time buyers to the less expensive Ballymoney area. Ballymoney is located on the main road between Coleraine and Ballymena, with good road and rail connections to the main cities in Northern Ireland, Belfast and Derry. The Ballymoney area has the highest life expectancy of any area in Northern Ireland, with the average male life expectancy at birth being 79.9 years and 83.8 years for females in years between 2010 and 2012. Conversely, it was revealed in 2013 that Ballymoney residents are more likely to die from heart disease than anywhere else in Northern Ireland. The town hosts the Ballymoney Drama Festival, the oldest drama festival in Ireland, which was founded in 1933. The town also hosts the Ballymoney Show, which is one of the oldest agricultural shows in Northern Ireland and was founded in 1902.
History
The Troubles
For more information see The Troubles in Ballymoney, which includes a list of incidents in Ballymoney during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.
On Census day there were 10,402 people living in Ballymoney, an increase of 15.3% on the Census 2001 population of 9,021. Of these:
19.75% were aged under 16 years and 16.91% were aged 65 and over;
52.84% of the usually resident population were female and 47.16% were male;
76.23% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian ' religion and 17.17% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic Christian religion;
73.34% indicated that they had a British national identity, 28.11% had a Northern Irish national identity and 6.78% had an Irish national identity ;
39 years was the average age of the population;
32.05% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots and 4.01% had some knowledge of Irish.
Buildings of note
Ballymoney is one of the oldest towns in Ireland with many buildings of historic note in the town centre.
An old church tower dating from 1637 is the town's oldest surviving building.
Another striking feature is the town clock and Masonic hall, built in 1775 by the 6th Earl and 2nd Marquis of Antrim. The hall was used as a market house, courthouse, town hall and school.
Stephen Carson, former Northern Ireland Under-21 international footballer, who plays for Coleraine in the IFA Premiership.
Peter Chambers, rower; Silver medal in the men's lightweight four at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Karen Corr, pool and snooker player.
Joey Dunlop, known as the "King of the Road", was five times World Motorcycle Champion with 24 Ulster Grand Prix wins, 13 North West 200 wins and 26 Isle of Man TT wins. He was killed while racing in Estonia in 2000. A statue of Dunlop stands in the town.
Robert Dunlop, motor cycle racer, Joey Dunlop's brother. One time record holder for the most North West 200 wins until surpassed by Alistair Seeley.
The Ballymoney Chronicle was established in 1844. It is the largest selling weekly newspaper in the North Coast and the second largest weekly newspaper in Northern Ireland.
